Cyberpunk: Ultimate Cyborg System
Chapter 224: Operation Wolf Slayer. (Part 12)

Chapter 224: Operation Wolf Slayer. (Part 12)

The moment he saw the black feathers, something clicked in Dante’s mind. Why didn’t Raven prevent him from escaping after stabbing the tracker? He had the range and visibility so he could have used his telekinesis to capture him right then and there. Instead, he tried attacking him and lost the chance after taking an explosion to the face.

The answer was simple: Raven needs to mark his targets first. Only then would his ability work on them.

As he struggled to remain upright, Dante felt his entire body being pulled forward. That kicked his mind into high gear, and he quickly decided on his next move. Instead of trying to resist the pull, he let go and allowed the hero to pull him, pretending to lose control the entire time.

Raven was clearly struggling, so much so that he had to hold up a hand as if the ability came from it instead of his mind. When Dante was in the air, the hero raised his blade, preparing to slash again, but then he leaped away.

Landing, Dante watched as his opponent turned around and took off running. It took him a few seconds to understand what was happening, but by the time he turned around, it was too late.

The other two were gone.

’Motherf*cker...’

[Be careful, Dante.] Said Volcan. [The leader doesn’t seem to have retreated entirely.]

Summoning Blue Ember’s 3D model, Dante looked searched it for the red dots representing his enemies. He immediately noticed two of them dropping from one floor to the other, not even going through the stairs. The third one was still on the twenty-eighth floor.

’So one of them is a distraction while the other two escape...’ Dante thought. ’Yeah, dream on.’

Taking a deep breath, he gave his resident AI an order.

’8-5’

[Are you-]

’Do it!

The rust colored 6-1 disintegrated into threads of light as more erupted from the chest area, quickly enveloping Dante’s body, forming a new, much bigger shell around him. The weight exerted on his body was lifted, but at the same time, he sensed the oppressive strain of the Level 5 armor threatening to tear him apart.

[

Name: Dante

Species: Human

Threat Level: 1

Baseline Retention: Intermediate (90%)

Stats:

Strength: 6 (+75)

Durability: 20 (+90)

Agility: 4 (+50)

Dexterity: 4 (+35)

Computing Power: 7 (+120)

Energy: 0 (+1200/1200)

Implants:

Diamond Fist (D)

Neural Interface Module (C)

Optic Augmentation Module (C)

Kinetic Absorption Protective Sub-Layer Generation 15 (C)

Armor: Type 8-5

Abilities:

Spatial Awareness

Spatial lock

Spatial Distortion

Spatial severing

Rift creation

Spatial Pocket

Void Lance

Teleportation

Spatial Implosion

]

Clad in the round blue armor, he wasted no time activating one of its abilities. He didn’t go straight for Teleportation, however. Instead, he used Rift Creation to open a portal right below the fleeing heroes, placing it on the ceiling to ensure they wouldn’t notice.

8-5’s expanded the range of Rift creation, allowing him to open a portal to almost any spot covered by Spatial Awareness. The last time he donned this armor, he used Teleportation and removed it right away. Because of that, he didn’t learn that he had a one-minute time limit with the Level 5 armor. Of course, that limit was cut in half now that he used several Level 3 armors back to back.

He had planned on keeping it as his last resort in case he needed an escape route later on, but there was a little problem. Dante suffers from an extreme condition called "Fuck It", which causes him to make some rather idiotic decisions from time to time. He had already decided that he would kill the three heroes, so letting them escape was out of the question.

’5-1!’

Portals can last for several seconds even if the armor that created them was dismissed, which is why he went and switched into another armor, feeling his body being torn apart after using 8-5 for only 5 seconds. Donning his second favorite suit, he watched the two falling dots passing through the wall under which he had placed the entrance of the portal, then saw them appear on the twenty-eighth floor of the 3D model.

Two cloaked figures fell from a hole in the ceiling a short distance away, completely unaware that they were back at the start line. The phaser was carrying the injured tracker on his back. Just as his feet touched the floor, Dante activated Instant Acceleration, reaching them before they heard the devastating sonic boom, his fist bursting forth.

Being punched at the speed of sound wasn’t something a human could take, but maybe because he was a Level 2 Prime, the phaser’s head didn’t explode the moment Dante’s fist connected with his face. Nevertheless, his lights were undoubtedly knocked out right away, and even if that wasn’t enough to take him out, smashing straight into a wall was surely the end of it.

"You thought... You thought I would let you run?" Panting, Dante let out a small chuckle, feeling his body ache all over. "Keep... dreaming..."

Looking ahead, he noticed that the phaser wasn’t moving. The red screen covering his body showed that he had yet to die, but Dante concluded that it might just be because Volcan had yet to determine if he was truly dead.

"Hm?"

Not far from where he was standing, Dante noticed a jet black piece of cloth lying on the floor with a similar red screen covering its form. Somehow, it took him a couple of seconds to realize it was the unconscious body of the tracker.

He walked over and stood over the collapsed hero, staring down for a moment as he considered whether to finish him off right now or let him die a slow death. That was when he caught movement in the corner of his eye.

Glancing at the wall where the phaser was buried, he saw the third hero. With him wearing a featureless mask, Dante wasn’t able to see his expression, but from the way he just stood there completely still, it was clear that the sight had left him shocked.

’... 6-1.’

Not saying anything, Volcan switched out the sleek and thin suit, replacing it with the rusty brown chunk of metal. He was sure that the light from the switch would catch the hero’s attention, and soon enough, he turned around and faced him.

Dante waited, wanting the Level 3 hero to understand what was about to happen. As if to drive the idea even further, he moved his head and looked down at the unconscious tracker before turning back to look at the team’s leader.

For a moment there, Dante wished that he could remove the armor’s helmet just so he could smile at the hero. But he wasn’t smiling. Excitement might have filled his heart for what he was about to do, but his expression remained impassive, as if he didn’t care at all.

He put some strength into his leg and raised it slowly. At the same time, Raven snapped into action, scattering a cloud of feathers before willing them to shoot forward. The inky black bullets were fast, but not fast enough. Before they could even cross half the distance, Dante brought his foot down, leaning with his entire body to add to its weight.

There was a faint snap, then a loud bang. The floor trembled, but only slightly. From under the foot of the monstrous bull, a crimson flower bloomed, its sharp petals reaching out in a wide circle.

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